An international climb in Jan 2004, featuring four disabled mountaineers attempting a remote route on the northern icefields of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m), the summit of Africa.
Patron: Sir Chris Bonington
Supported by:
April 2007 Update: Slackjaw Productions of the documentary of the expedition, Kilimanjaro: Going For Broke – won the 2006 Jean-Marc Boivin Award at the International Adventure Film Festival in Dijon. The award was based on ” authenticity of adventure”
Wed Jan 21, 2004, Media Release
The Voltaren Kilimanjaro Challenge succeeded in climbing to Africa’s summit, Mt Kilimanjaro on Jan 18th scoring a possible first in placing an international team of all- disabled climbers on top.
A variety of setbacks from unseasonal bad weather to illness forced the team to abandon its original plan to climb the straightforward but remote Credner Glacier. Instead, the team focused on the Western Breach route, a more approachable route but one with a steep face; laced with rock steps and cliffs. The preceding week’s bad weather had plastered Kilimanjaro with a thick coating of snow; giving the peak an unusual icing. No other teams were on the route that day.
Leaving their 4800m camp at 0100hrs , they climbed through most of the night on the 18th; reaching the summit crater rim ( 5700m ) between 1030 – 1100hrs. From here, Uhuru ( the main summit of Kilimanjaro ) was reached at around 1500hrs in good conditions. The team helped each other where personal physical impairments caused some difficulties at the technical sections.
Messrs Pete Steane, Jamie Andrew, David Lim and Paul Pritchard descended from the summit at 1600hrs and began a gruelling seven-hour descend into the darkness to their Karanga campsite on the southeastern side of the mountain. The whole summit day took 23 hours. Dehydrated and tired from the climb, the team pulled into the campsite at about 0030 hrs, Jan 19th.
The team have returned to their respective countries, with Messrs Paul Pritchard and Pete Steane transiting in Singapore on Jan 25th prior to their return to Australia.
The climb has been covered extensively in the world media including:
BBC Worldservice (Jan 9)
CNN (Jan 13, Jan 19)
The Times ( UK ) Jan 12
The Scotsman ( UK ) Jan 23
The Straits Times ( Singapore ) Jan 7, 24
Streats ( Singapore ) Jan 6
Channelnewsasia Jan 23
Arusha Times ( Tanzania ) Jan 17-23
The Daily Nation ( Kenya ) Jan 23
EverestNews.com
The team thanks it supporters:
Voltaren Emulgel [ Novartis OTC ( Asia Pacific ) ]
and Reuters Foundation;
With support from:
Marmot,
DMM,
Canon,
Emirates Airlines,
Mountain Designs,
Black Diamond Equipment,
Nike Timing.
Sandisk and
Ad Idem Productions
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